Paranoia, Paranoia
by Teh Future Mrs. Kyo Sohma
Summary: They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies. [Keiichi]


**A/N: **

**And so, Dukoro-chan makes her gallant way back to the Higurashi side of Fanfiction. **

**Today, I bring to you a story based from a sentence of lyric from a song called "Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore.**

**POV: Keiichi. **

**Enjoy!! **

**_'_**_They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.'_

Have you ever had the feeling you're being watched? Like someone is watching you from a distance, keeping an eye out for your every move? That feeling of eyes glued to your back, inching closer, closer, _closer, _until bang!

It's that over-whelming feeling of dread; like you can already predict what's going to happen. Like the future has already been foretold, and you have to sit around and wait for the tragedy to happen.

But it's always been this way. Ever since I transferred to Hinamizawa at the start of this year, I've always felt like somebody was after me. I could almost feel their presence behind me. Don't try to tell me I'm the only one who hears the footsteps, the kind you hear but when you turn around, there's not a soul around; because I know you're lying. It _can't_ just be me. Hinamizawa is a creepy place; surely _I'm_ not the _only_ one who feels these heart-stopping moments of terror… right?

_'I noticed your eyes are always glued to me … it makes no sense at all.' _

It's _those_ girls. Rena, Mion, Rika, Satoko. Yeah, that's right. I listed them in order of creepiness. I suppose one could say I 'have nothing better to do'. But you don't know how it feels to turn around and see your best friends stalking you, spying on you. The worst part was when I discovered Rena, her footing so light, trailing behind me; I'm surprised I heard her at all. And when I turned, she stared at me, directly in the eyes; a deadly grin passed across her features. But what was more deadly is that _thing_ in her hand. That sharp, that shiny, that horrible _thing._

It was then I knew; I had to get out of this place.

_'They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.' _

I started running and I couldn't stop. It took me a while to realise the most important factor of Hinamizawa, but when it hit me, it did so like a ten-ton truck.

_There's nowhere to run to… _

It's the truth, isn't it, Rena? Isn't that why you came back after your mysterious 'holiday' away, crying, pleading to return here? There really is _nowhere _to run from here. Once you're in, you can never leave. It was like an unwritten rule of this village.

_No one can come in and no one can come out..._

That sound. That sound! She's following me again, I know it. I can feel it. Do I dare turn around? Who will it be this time? Rena again? Mion, even? Why am I the only teenage male in this God forsaken village?!

_Sudden realisation..._

Their fingers lightly grazed the back of my neck.

"Keiichi…"

_'They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.' _

I previously refused to do it, but what was I meant to do now? Run? There was nowhere to run to…

I turned. I turned so painfully slowly, scared that if I turned quickly, I'd be greeted much quicker with a horrible sight. I suppose, no matter how fast I turned, I'd still see it, wouldn't I?

"What do you want?" I asked, still not knowing who was standing behind me, so close I could feel their breath on my neck, sending a pleasant chill down my spine.

"You have to come with me now…" spoke the slightly masculine voice of Mion, ever-so-slowly. "I have something to show you…"

"What if I don't feel like it?" I dared to ask, cringing at the possible outcomes from this unplanned act of courage. What happened to my idea of organizing everything I said before I said it? I guess nothing could be done, now…

"I'll have to take you by force." She said simply, just as I began to face her, my eyes locking onto her green, cat-like orbs. She bared her teeth in a sickening grin.

"You just keep standing there, Kei." Mion reached into her pocket, not allowing our eyes to disconnect. "Don't move."

And I didn't. I knew better.

_'They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.' _

Within seconds, without comprehension, my mouth was sealed. I glanced down to her hands, trying to find clues of what it could be that was now clinging tightly to my face.

_Duct tape. Figures. _

I felt dizzy and sick; this was bad. Very bad.

"Come now, Kei, don't look so glum." She snickered, grabbing my hands and pulling me forward. "We're going to _my house…_"

I was tired of this. Just who did she think she was? Always grabbing me, spying on me, scaring me. I was sick of this! But I was receiving little oxygen through my nose and I was growing weaker, so, reluctantly, I was dragged to the Sonozaki residence.

_I wonder... what all this is about, anyway?_

Had I done something to anger Mion and Rena? Maybe I broke some other unwritten rule that I didn't know about. Well, how _could_ I know? The rule is unwritten! Nevertheless, if I had upset these two in any way, I knew from fact that my future was soon to be cut short.

_'They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.' _

They'd both lied to me the while time I'd been here, since the day we met. Mion and Rena. They'd have to be the best liars on Earth, I swear.

As the rounded the last corner to the large Sonozaki Estate, I noticed a shadowy figure standing in a top floor window. As though it had been waiting for my arrival, the figure rushed away.

_I guess that's Rena. _

"Don't worry, Kei." Mion whispered, her breath on my neck once again pressing spine-tingles up and down my body, sending my senses wild. "We'll take _good care of you…_"

_That's unlikely. _

I blinked; where the Hell was I? Tied to a chair… wasn't I standing outside a few moments ago?

"Sorry to have to knock you out like that, Keiichi," Rena appeared in front of me, attempting to be sincere, but failing rather miserably. "But we knew you wouldn't come of your own accord, since you know about our past."

"Yes," Mion turned up beside her, eyes fixating on me. I shifted uncomfortably as her gaze traveled from my feet to my face. "It's come to our attention that you've been… let's say, _meeting up_ with a certain police officer…"

"No! It's not what you think!" I was amazed I had my voice back. I guess I didn't notice the lack of tape across my face. My sudden out burst seemed to stun them, but both Rena and Mion quickly regained composure.

"Don't lie to us, Kei." Mion's faint whisper was barely audible to the human ear. "We know what you're doing at all times."

"We're always watching you. And lying results in the punishment game." Rena made eye contact with Mion and they shared some kind of message, ending with a nod from both. "No one wants that."

"So, tell us. Shed some light on the situation. What do you know about us? What did Ooshi want from you and what did you tell him?"

What came out of my mouth next was a surprise even to me. Even now, I can't believe I would say such a thing.

"If you're watching me all the time, why don't you already know?"

_'They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.' _

"KEIICHI…" Rena's voice was raised now, her hands resting on my throat, pressing in just hard enough to suck all the air from my lungs. "YOU KNOW TOO MUCH!" Her hand collided with my face. I felt like I was in one of those police movies, where they shine bright lights in your eyes and there's a good cop and a bad cop.

Except, this movie contained two bad cop and a guy who had no idea what was going on.

"Why must you lie to us?!" Mion shouted and Rena slapped my again. I felt tears prick the back of my eyes; where the Hell did they learn to slap so hard?

"I didn't lie!" I yelled, my voice cracking from the hand on my throat and the tears in my eyes. "I didn't deny anything! Even though there's nothing to deny! I don't know a thing of what you're saying!"

"YOU'RE A LIAR!"

_No... I'm not..._

"Forget him, Rena. We can just get rid of him."

_What...? I didn't do anything to you..._

"We can just… scribble out the truth. We've learned to love our lie."

_You can't... you can't...!! YOU CAN'T!!_

As I felt the crumbling of my bones and the gushes of blood erupting from various wounds to my body, I was hit by a sudden thought. My last thought. This world, these girls, this scene. The footsteps behind me when no one was there. The voices. The shadows.

It's all in my head...

_'They taped over your mouth and scribbled out the truth with their lies.' _

No one bothered to investigate the death of Keiichi Maebara; dead in his own home. He was put under the tragedy list, another person who had committed suicide by tearing of the throat. No drugs or narcotics were found in the blood stream. He was deemed psychotic and was forgotten about soon after.

Nor did anyone look into the deaths of Mion Sonozaki and Rena Ryuuguu the week before.

**A/N: **

**I feel kinda upset now...**

**I love the last line. It puts the whole story together.**


End file.
